Polk Commissioners voted January 2019 to get rid of the county’s panhandling ordinance.
Put in September 2020 it getting bad see the photos below.
“Panhandling cannot be restricted,” Polk Commissioner George Lindsey explained. “It is treated as free speech, and you cannot prohibit someone from asking for money.”
That doesn’t mean panhandlers are going to have free rein in Polk.
Deputies were able to use the ordinance to essentially tell people to keep moving. Last year, they gave hundreds of verbal warnings and just seven citations.
Now Polk Sheriff Grady Judd says they will have to rely on laws with harsher penalties to keep the problem under control. Panhandlers could be charged with trespass or even burglary, depending on how aggressive they become.
“We’re gonna lock your butt up now,” Judd said. “If you do it, we’re going to have to be tougher than we want to be,” he said.
Enforcement of DOT laws prohibiting any acts on State Roadways and right of way would stop alot
It should be against the law
An addict panhandling can SNAP at anytime and it’s definitely NOT safe for anyone. This needs to be controlled and ultimately STOPPED! It is definitely a safety issue. They will steal from you and if desperate enough, car jack you. If you need money bad enough, you’ll do anything to get it!!!!